Which Resources Are Significantly Polluted by Heavy Metals Like Mercury?
This article will give you the quick answer to this question and a breakdown of the explanation.
Summary
Question: Which resources are significantly polluted by heavy metals like mercury?
Answer:
- Water
- Soil
- Air
All of our main types of natural resources are significantly polluted with heavy metals like mercury. However, the concentration of pollution from heavy metals varies by region. There are higher levels of pollution from heavy metals in certain areas of the world where there have been large sources of pollutants.
Here is a full breakdown of the answer to this question:
What are resources?
Resources – materials in our environment that help us satisfy our needs and wants.
Natural Resources – resources that exist without any actions of human kind.
Main Natural Resources
- Water
- Land
- Air (atmosphere)
- Sunlight
- Minerals
- Vegetation
What is pollution?
Pollution – the introduction of harmful materials into the environment.
Anything that enters the natural environment and causes harm or unwanted change can be classified as a pollutant.
Pollution can take many forms:
- Chemicals
- Noise
- Heat
- Light
We usually hear about pollution of our natural resources, such as an oil spill into the ocean or the dumping of chemicals into rivers. In both examples, a natural resource utilized by humans has been damaged.
Some things that occur naturally, such as heavy metals, can be a pollutant in higher than normal concentrations.
What are heavy metals like mercury?
Heavy Metal – a term used to refer to metals that can cause harm to humans and our environment, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium.
The technical definition of heavy metals relates to their weight – metals that have a density of more than 5 g/cm^2. Heavy metals can be toxic for humans even at low concentrations.
In high concentrations, heavy metals like mercury can cause harm to our natural resources and pose a significant risk to human health.
What is mercury and how does it get into natural resources?
Mercury is a heavy metal known for:
- Neurotoxicity – chronic exposure causes nervous system damage
- Liquid State – it is in a liquid state at room temperature and therefore is nicknamed “quicksilver”
- Use in Thermometers – it was commonly used in thermometers but has not been phased out
Sources of Mercury Emissions
Mercury pollution is primarily airborne. It gets into the atmosphere from natural sources such as volcanoes, or more often, from human activities such as burning fossil fuels.
Airborne mercury can fall to the ground and get into soil and waterways via raindrops, in dust, or simply due to gravity.
Natural Causes of Atmospheric Mercury
- Volcanoes
- Forest Fires
Human Causes of Atmospheric Mercury
Human activities have pushed atmospheric mercury levels to 450% of their natural levels.
- Burning of Fossil Fuels (oil, coal)
- Small-scale gold mining
- Cement production
- More (see graph below)
Direct Sources of Mercury Pollution
Mercury in direct and higher concentrations can also enter the environment by wastewater pollution from factories and mining operations.
Data Source: EPA – Mercury Emissions
Which resources are significantly polluted by heavy metals like mercury?
Although the second most common way of mercury pollution is into the atmosphere, it makes its way into our soils and water through natural processes. This is why air, soil, and water can all be polluted by mercury.
Other heavy metals such as lead and cadmium behave similarly and also make it into our natural resources through similar processes.